Iran’s new president has said that morality police will no longer “bother” women over the wearing of the mandatory hijab headscarf, days after the UN warned women were still being violently punished for breaking the strict dress code.
The UN last week said Iran’s government had “intensified efforts” since that period to suppress women’s rights and crush any last vestiges of activism.
But on Monday, Pezeshkian said that the regime’s morality police should no longer be confronting women on the street.
Pezeshkian, who became president after his predecessor died in a helicopter crash, is seen as a potentially reformist leader.
In response he said: “The morality police were not supposed to confront [women].
During his election campaign he pledged to oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory hijab headscarf.
This was a noticeable departure from previous official events where female journalists are required to appear in full hijab, BBC Monitoring reported.
But the UN’s latest fact-finding mission in the country says women “still live in a system that relegates them to second class citizens”.
“Security forces have further escalated pre-existing patterns of physical violence, including beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls who are perceived as failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations,” the UN said.
“The Bill provides for harsher penalties for women who do not wear the mandatory hijab, including exorbitant financial fines, longer prison sentences, restrictions on work and educational opportunities, and bans on travel,” the UN investigators said.
Days after the UN warned that women were still being brutally punished for defying the strict dress code, Iran’s new president declared that morality police would no longer “bother” women for wearing the required headscarf, the hijab.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s remarks coincided with the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death while in police custody. Amini, 22, had been detained after it was claimed she was not properly wearing the hijab, which sparked protests across the country.
According to a UN report last week, Iran’s government has since “intensified efforts” to crush any remaining traces of activism and suppress women’s rights.
Pezeshkian, however, stated on Monday that women should no longer be approached by the regime’s morality police while they are out on the streets.
Pezeshkian is viewed as a possible reformist leader. He took office as president following the death of his predecessor in a helicopter accident.
He was answering inquiries from a female reporter who claimed to have avoided police vans by taking detours on her way to the press conference. A part of her hair was visible beneath her loosely worn head scarf.
She acknowledged that the police were still on the streets in response to Pezeshkian’s question.
As an answer, he stated: “It was not intended for the morality police to confront women.”. In order to keep them from bothering [them], I will follow up.
Key state TV networks, including rolling news channel IRINN, carried live commentary from him. Since then, the video of the exchange with the female journalist has become very popular on the internet.
After taking over for the ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi in July, Pezeshkian was holding his first press conference.
He made a commitment to fight police presences enforcing the required headscarf, the hijab, during his campaign. Additionally, he has pledged to loosen some of the nation’s long-standing internet regulations.
Iran increased its social media monitoring after the 2022 nationwide anti-establishment demonstrations led by women.
“Lashed for a social media picture” in Iran.
Pezeshkian’s press conference on Monday included some female journalists wearing loose head coverings, which may indicate a less strict attitude toward the nation’s strict dress code for women.
According to BBC Monitoring, this was a significant change from earlier official events where female journalists were expected to attend wearing a full hijab.
However, women “still live in a system that relegates them to second class citizens,” according to the UN’s most recent fact-finding mission in the nation.
The UN stated in a report that was made public last week that “State authorities have expanded repressive measures and policies to further deprive women and girls of their fundamental rights.”. ****.
It said that in addition to supporting a rise in violence against women and girls who disobey the law, the government has “enhanced surveillance of hijab compliance” in both public and private settings.
The United Nations said that “security forces have further escalated pre-existing patterns of physical violence, including beating, kicking, and slapping women and girls who are perceived to be failing to comply with the mandatory hijab laws and regulations.”.
It also stated that authorities had “stepped up” the execution of people who had shown support for the Woman, Life, Freedom movement protests in 2022 and had been using the death penalty against female activists more frequently.
The UN mission also reported that a bill titled “Hijab and Chastity” was nearing completion and approval by Iran’s Guardian Council.
“The Bill imposes more severe penalties—such as hefty fines, prolonged jail terms, denials of employment and educational opportunities, and travel prohibitions—for women who choose not to wear the required hijab,” the UN observers stated.
